Austin, Texas

February 2012

Austin Beerworks owner and head brewer Will Golden is trying to continue the brewing style brought to the area by the late Pierre Celis in the 1990s: to brew Belgian-style beers and make the ingredient king of the process.

Like his brewery partners, Golden worked for years in another industry before visiting a brewery with his childhood friend—co-owner Adam DeBower—and taking the plunge into beer full-time, making real and meaningful brews for people who cared about beer. He now brews in only kegs and cans, no bottles. In Austin, people want to bring their beer with them, Golden says.

While he believes locally brewed beer is best—beers are hardly sold outside of Travis County—Golden has traveled extensively through Europe, and would like to travel (South Africa and Honduras, perhaps) to get a sense of how other areas perfect their craft. It's that dedication that has helped win Austin Beerworks a best new brewery award for Austin and a silver medal at the Great American Beer Festival.